Preventing Winter Hat Hair

October 13, 2016October 10, 2016Leave a comment

Winter seems to have arrived in the capital region and with the cold, toques and winter hats are soon to follow. It makes sense that keeping your head and ear warm would be a huge priority; however, how can we do that without sacrificing how our hair looks? There is nothing worse than having to go to a professional meeting at the office and pulling off your toque to reveal a flattened and frizzy mess.

There are, thankfully, some easy things we can to in order to keep the correct volume for our hair while simultaneously preventing static and frizziness that comes with the cold. In our previous article about getting rid of winter fly-aways, we talked about how dryness in the air during the winter dries out the hair, creating more friction, static electricity and, by extension, wild hair. We talked a lot about the importance of maintaining moisturized hair, which can be done by reducing the number of times you shampoo weekly, using and anti-frizz shampoo, using conditioner and leave-in moisturizing products as well. The same is definitely true of preventing hat hair so make sure all of your conditioning strategies are intact from the get-go.

Using volumizing products to build up your hair, even despite the fact that you may have to put a hat on. These products will usually just require a little bit of primping when the hat comes off to help your hair return to its original volume right away.

Making sure you hair is actually dry is also important. First of all, going out with wet hair (even under a hat) is not good for your health and can increase your susceptibility to illness by catching a draft. Also, hair that is still wet that then goes under a hat will take the shape of the hat and totally flatten out. These means that no matter what you do, you will have a lumpy mess when your hat comes off. If you use a diffuser when you blow-dry, you are also much more likely to create additional volume in your hair as you dry it.

If you have a specific way you normally part you hair, consider parting it on the opposite side before you put your hat on. Then you hair will only flatten in that one area. When you remove your hat, simply flip your hair back to its natural part and you will likely have most of the regular volume you are accustomed to.

Lastly, the other thing that can be done is to bring some products and styling tools with you and leave your place a little early. You can arrive and head straight to the washroom to remove your hat and touch up your hair before you head to your meeting or workday. Realistically, there are going to be a lot of other people struggling with the same issue in the winter time so try to use these tips to look your best but also don’t sweat the small stuff. A good cut and nice colour go a long way to recuperating what a hat does on blustery winter days!

Overcome the Long, Cold Winter and Fly-Away Hair

October 9, 2016Leave a comment

It seems fitting that on the first snow day of the new season in Edmonton, we would be looking to talk to you about hair fly-aways and how they are caused by cold, dry winter weather. With the weather taking a turn for the wintery, our follicles easily get dried out and the energy we put into styling our ‘do every morning can be put to waste if static electricity gets the better of it. Static electricity increases as the weather gets drier, as does one’s natural frizziness. It is important to stay on top of it or else the weather can have your cut and style looking a little more than funny when the toques come off.

As our hair gets drier from the dry air around it absorbing all of its moisture, friction is increased and the rubbing together of your strands causes the static electricity that leads to fly-away hair. Depending on the type of hair you have, you might want to be using products in a pinch that help tame those wild lock. A hair serum can keep hair moisturized and shiny, and will also prevent excess rubbing. Hairspray might also keep things in place but be sure to keep it to a minimum as we never want to get too overzealous with this one. If your hair is on the thicker side, a light-weight pomade could also trap moisture from escaping to the surrounding air. Make sure you only use a little bit though so you don’t have a greasy look.

This might sound a bit silly, but if you are really desperate, you can run an unscented dryer sheet over your hair since getting rid of static is what these inexpensive sheets are designed for! You will only want to use these in a pinch as the rest of the time it is just a good idea to stay preventatively moisturized to protect the long-term health of your hair.

Limiting how often you wash your hair in the winter is, generally speaking, a good idea. Over-shampooing is a recipe for a dried out scalp and dried out locks too so unless you work in a particularly greasy, sweaty or dirty place, you shouldn’t wash your hair every single day – especially not when the weather consistently dips below the freezing point. When you do shampoo, make sure you choose an anti-frizz shampoo if you are prone to fly-aways. These products tend to contain moisturizing agents to provide you with extra safeguards against dryness as well as being free of drying scents or essential oils. Lastly, make sure that every time you shampoo, you also use conditioner as conditioner is the foundation of any hair moisturizing routine to which leave-in conditioning products can also be added, as well as periodic deep-conditioning treatments. When hair is moisturized, it doesn’t make static electricity and you can live through the winter, fly-away-free!

Why You Need a Salon Deep Conditioning Treatment

July 30, 2016Leave a comment

Deep conditioning treatments seem like one of those salon luxuries that you add-on if you feel like pampering yourself, but they are actually an important and regular part of your hair care routine. In order to keep your hair hydrated and smooth, you need to have deep conditioning treatments done. This is especially true if you regularly apply heat to your hair – which, frankly, most of us do.

While there are a number of professional deep conditioning products you can purchase in the salon and use in your own home, consider booking yourself for a salon appointment on a regular basis and here’s why:

1) We know exactly what we are doing. There are countless articles on the internet about deep conditioning treatments and many of them contradict each other as to what you should use, for how long and what is the best time to do the treatments. Drop those worries in a second and leave this to the professionals. We have been in the industry for so long we can do these things in our sleep so come in, have a cup of tea and leave your hair to the professionals.

2) You will leave looking like a runway model. Deep conditioning treatments usually include a blowout and styling so you can take care of your hair and look fabulous too. You might want to schedule a deep conditioning treatment for special event or date nights where you know you need to look your very best. This will take care of two things at once by repairing damaged hair and feeding it nutrients to protect it in the future, while also getting that lovely hair styled to perfection.

3) It will prep you for your other treatments and hair styling. It might seem like an extra expense but deep conditioning treatments are done not only for the sake of the health of our hair, but also for other hair investments like colour treatments. Weak and dry hair cannot effectively hold colour. By adding moisture back to your hair, it becomes stronger, shinier and can hold colour better. It’s like a big dose of nutrients for your hair.

Wedding Season “Dos” (And Don’ts!) for Bridal Hair

July 24, 2016Leave a comment

Wedding season is in full swing at The Gilded Pear and it seems like every weekend this summer we are packed full of bridal parties getting their hair done to look fabulous on these special days! We are experts at doing beautiful bridal updos and styles to complement every detail on your wedding day, and we love completing all bridal party looks to make sure everyone is looking their best too.

There are some important things to think about when it comes to wedding hair so below is our list of Bridal Dos (and Don’ts!):

Get your dress first. If you haven’t decided on your dress, you probably shouldn’t be booking with a stylist yet. Having the dress before you consult with a stylist is going to be a huge help because you can bring all of the information they need to that consultation: information including the length and style of the dress, the neckline, the theme of the wedding and so forth. Don’t leave your dress purchase to the last minute either because chances are that you won’t be able to get an appointment with your top hairstylist if you leave it too late.

Go to the experts. (Well in advance) Once you have a wedding date booked, you will definitely need to book any and all hair appointments immediately to ensure that you can actually get in for trial appointments prior to the day and style appointments on your special day. If you are choosing a higher end salon like The Gilded Pear which specializes in bridal parties and wedding updos, you are going to have make sure you get in as soon as possible. On that note, we obviously recommend ourselves first and foremost since making brides and bridal parties look beautiful is part of what we do best!

Book a trial (on the same day as your dress fitting). Booking a trial consultation is one of the best things you can so with your stylist, especially if you are able to do it the same day as your dress fitting. This will help you to see both key components together to envision how beautiful you are going to look on your special day. If you have some wild ideas in mind, this is the time to discuss them (and even try them) with your stylist. It might be something that works, or it might be something that doesn’t work – either way, getting it out of the way at the trial is the best time to do it…not on your wedding day!

Inform your stylist. Your stylist needs to have an idea of how many people are in your bridal party, what colours they will be wearing, whether you want updos or long tendrils for them and the opposite for the bride, or if there will be a general cohesive look to the whole unit. Stylists need to know wedding themes and what will be taking place at the wedding as far as activities go because all of these things will inform how they style your hair and what kinds of products they use. If there are outdoor picture scheduled and there is a wind around, or you will be in a particularly humid hall, your stylist needs to be aware of anything can possibly influence the look of your style on your special day in order to mitigate shifting hair and keep everything firmly in place.

Don’t go nuts. Your wedding day is not really the time to try crazy new hair trends or do something that is drastically different than the hairstyle you have had for the last 15 years. It’s not the time to shave words into your undercut or get chunky highlights you have never had before. The pictures that you take on your wedding day will be with you for the rest of your lives together so make sure you are making small decisions to keep big faux-pas out of the camera!

Get a hair treatment. Deep conditioning treatments a week before your wedding day are an absolute must and this is another appointment to consider booking well in advance. The benefits of deep conditioning treatments include having softer and stronger hair that is easier to style and work with. Having shinier, healthier looking hair for all of those timeless photos is also a major benefit. And you will just feel more beautiful too!

Accessorize! Don’t be afraid to make a statement with hair accessories rather than going nuts with your hair. Special veils, hair pieces and other “blingy” goodies might be just what your stylist needs to take your hair to the next level. Many salons will actually carry an array of hair accessories to choose from and stylists also have their own personal arsenal for purchase. If you have an accessory in mind, you are going to want to bring it to your initial hair trial so your stylist has time to work with it and see how to best include in the look for your big day.

Wear a button-down shirt on wedding day. This almost goes without saying. The last thing you or your stylist want is to have to drag a tight t-shirt over a perfected coiffed ‘do just to put your dress on. Make sure you are wearing a button down shirt- even if you have to borrow one from the groom-to-be to ensure that every hair stays in place and your hard-earned time sitting in the salon chair isn’t wasted.

Leave yourself a cushion of time. When you are booking your appointment for your wedding day, be sure to tell your stylist that you want some “cushion time” for you and your bridal party. This is excellent so that no one is arriving late to the ceremony because hair time got behind. This also allow professional photographers to spend a bit of extra time capturing the preparation moments in the salon.

Be flexible. This is one of the most important days of your life. Don’t spend it as a puddle of anxiety-riddled goo. All of our previous recommendations are designed to put you at ease. Your stylist will have all the information they need to get the job done and you can just sit back, relax and enjoy getting pampered like a princess. If things aren’t organized down to the minute or your bridal party is a tad behind early in the morning, don’t fret – you booked yourself cushion time, your accessories are ready, you know you are going to look good and you’ve got a warm cup of tea from your stylist to keep the happy feelings flowing. You got this. We got this. Let’s make beautiful things happen together at The Gilded Pear.

The Gilded Pear’s Microdermabrasion for Smooth, Youthful Skin

July 8, 2016Leave a comment

Microdermabrasion is a general term for the application of tiny rough grains to buff away the surface layer of skin. Many different products and treatments use this method, including medical procedures, salon treatments and creams and scrubs that you apply yourself at home. It’s usually done to the face, chest, neck, arms or hands. Before we can understand how microdermabrasion does what it does, it’s important to understand how skin works.

Your skin is made up of two main layers, the epidermis and the dermis. The epidermis is the layer closest to the outside world. It’s a set of dead skin cells on top of another layer of cells that are in the process of maturing. The topmost layer is called the stratum corneum. The stratum corneum mostly acts as a barrier between the outside world and the lower skin layers. It keeps all but the smallest molecules from getting through.

When you put lotions or creams on your skin, some of the moisture passes through the stratum corneum, but not all of it. This layer is home to many minor skin imperfections like fine wrinkle lines and blemishes.

All of the action in microdermabrasion takes place at the level of the stratum corneum. Since it only really targets the epidermis (and not the dermis), it is more accurate to call it micro-epi-dermabrasion. Affecting deeper layers of skin would be painful and harmful, and it would risk permanently embedding the tiny grains into the skin.

This process has a few beneficial effects. With the stratum corneum gone, the skin’s surface is improved. The healing process brings with it newer skin cells that look and feel smoother. Some of the skin’s visible imperfections, like sun damage, blemishes and fine lines, are removed. Also, without the stratum corneum acting as a barrier, medicinal creams and lotions are more effective because more of their active ingredients and moisture can find their way down to the lower layers of skin. As microdermabrasion temporarily removes some moisture from the skin, it is always followed by the application of moisturizing creams.

What is Photo Rejuvenation at The Gilded Pear?

July 8, 2016Leave a comment

Photo Rejuvenation or photorejuvenation (also known as photofacials) effectively treats red and brown dyschromia/hyperpigmentation and facial telangiectasia while improving the skin’s texture and tone. Our process allows us to accurately target your skin concern revealing visible results in as little as 1-3 treatments spaced at 4 weeks apart. Photorejuvenation is used for a variety of skin concerns and used not only to correct skin imperfections such as freckles and sun spots, but to improve the overall skin complexion.

Photo Rejuvenation effectively treats:

• Facial Telangiectasia
• Rosacea
• Hyperpigmentation
• Age spots/sun spots
• Diffused redness and small facial capillaries
• Uneven skins and dull complexions
• Fine lines and mild scarring
• Overall skin appearance

Immediately following your photofacial, photorejuvenation or photo rejuvenation treatment, brown spots/discolourations will start to darken and your skin may appear slightly pink. This typically lasts a few hours to possibly a few days. During a time span of one to three weeks post your photofacial treatment, the darkened spots will flake off and/or fade and facial capillaries or diffused redness will decrease.

Before beginning photo rejuvenation treatments at The Gilded Pear, we encourage all clients to visit us for a complimentary photo rejuvenation skin consultation. At this time we will analyze your skin and provide recommendations for which treatments are best for you based on your skin’s needs and your personal goals for your skin.

When you come in for your first photo rejuvenation or photorejuvenation treatment, we will begin by cleansing the skin. The face is mapped out or divided in small sections to ensure even coverage. Goggles are placed over the client’s eyes for safety. A thin layer of gel is applied to the skin. The photo rejuvenation hand piece is applied to the skin one pulse at a time. You will feel a sharp pinch with every photorejuvenation pulse.

The Gilded Pear

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